Episode 22 Antiques Road Trip

It's the nation's favourite antiques experts with £200 each.

-Classic car, and a goal to scour Britain for antiques.

-That hurts.

-What do you think?

-The aim? To make the biggest profit at auction.

But it's no mean feat. There'll be worthy winners and valiant losers!

What have I done?

So, will it be the high road to glory or the slow road to disaster?

-Put your back into it! Come on!

-Shut up, James!

-This is the Antiques Road Trip!

Yeah!

It's a brand new day and we're motoring along in a classic 1950s Morris Minor

with our antiques experts Thomas Plant and James Lewis.

-It's just beautiful.

-I think Scotland is dire when it's raining.

But you can't beat it when it's like this.

Don't be fooled by his baby face, as Thomas Plant is

an antiques expert of 20 years.

He's a man who knows his stuff, and he's armed with nerves of steel.

-This is everything I've got!

-That's how you'll win!

He's doing battle today with James Lewis,

an auctioneer whose family are originally from Scotland.

-So this trip is taking him back to his roots.

-Raaaaaaaar!

Is he all right? Our duelling duo begin their last leg with £200 each.

Thomas only made a measly £17.30 profit at his last auction...

Learnt my lesson there. Learnt my little lesson.

..giving him £217.30 to spend on this leg.

However James is storming ahead after making a staggering profit

of £275 on a large cocoa seed in the first leg.

-Last call on £300.

-Yes!

-Well done.

He now has a gigantic £493.50 to play with.

Gosh, what a moneybags!

Fantastico. Brilliant!

This week Thomas and James will be travelling over 800 miles,

looping their way from the Scottish west coast up to the Highlands,

down to the Lowlands, and back again,

eventually finishing at the country's capital city, Edinburgh.

However, on this leg they're starting off in Balloch,

next to Loch Lomond,

and ending on the east coast in Dundee for their auction.

But the Morris Minor has other ideas.

I think we might have killed the car.

With my extensive knowledge of cars, I think the solenoid's gone.

-What the heck is a solenoid?

-Very good question, James.

-I don't know!

This could be quite dangerous.

-We'll be all right for today. It's going to rain anyway.

-Yes.

Water and electrics always work well together!

-Please do NOT try this at home!

-Come on, James! I reckon it'll be fine.

Whoopee! Me and classic cars.

Oh, it's doing... Oh, no! No way!

Look at that! Oh, no. It's really bad now.

-What a disaster!

-Hitch.

-Hitch? Let's get out, then! Brilliant!

See, that's the way you do it, Thomas! Hello.

-Is there any possibility you might give us a lift?

-What a nice lady.

-Oh, Balloch. I can see the sign.

-I think we did really well.

There it is. Things are looking up!

The boys are off to Loch Lomond Antiques and Art Centre

to find their first lots of the day.

If you know of any wonderful bargains I should be looking at, feel free to point them out.

Yes! We'll certainly point you in the right direction.

-Don't point them out to him, though!

-No, OK!

You may laugh, but Thomas is already up and running with Doreen.

-Can I look at this drinking set?

-OK.

I seem to do quite well with things which are alcohol-related!

This art deco silver-plated travelling cocktail set

would be fabulous for the jet set!

-There's the three cups.

-I think there might be four.

-I think this lifts off.

-Oh, there's another one there? Cool!

-And I think there's more inside.

-It's quite fun, really.

I love these things which sort of all tessellate into each other.

We've got on that 45, but can maybe take it down to 40,

but I think that's all we could do.

-D'you think so?

-Yes.

-25.

-Maybe 30.

-Maybe 30?

No. 36. 35, then.

-What about 30?

-Can't do 30, no, I can't.

-I know you want it.

-I could lose money on it, you see.

-I don't think so.

-But it is all there.

-It is.

-32.

-OK! 32.

-Thank you. Brilliant.

-That's fine, it's fine!

-Thank goodness for that.

So, a drinks set and a kiss from the lovely Doreen.

Not bad going, Thomas!

James has got Doreen's husband Brian looking after him.

-I wonder if he'll get a kiss?

-OK, what have we got over here?

Can I see the little cannon, please?

I wonder what that was for.

-Firelighters?

-Could be some matches, couldn't it?

-Matches, yes.

-I wonder if that's the striker, actually?

-Yes.

It's a funny old thing.

This Victorian match holder with the cranberry glass barrel

seems a steal at £28.

-Would 15 quid buy it?

-28... 20 is the bottom line on that one.

-Is it?

-Yes.

-Do a bit more off it?

-If a pound helps, we'll do it for 19.

-I'm not going to argue with you. I can see you're doing your best.

-Thank you.

Well, you have got nearly £500 burning a hole in your pocket!

-Anything else, James?

-How about that shield-shaped box just there?

-This one here.

-We've got 90 on it. 75?

-OK.

Can I make a cheeky offer of 50 on that?

-If we could split it to 55....

-55... Yes, OK.

Mm, that was easy - but James seems distracted by something else.

What on earth is that?

It's a weird thing!

-What do you think? Improvement?

-Yes!

This extraordinary piece of tribal art

is an open-eyed mask with monkey cresting, dating from the 1880s.

-Without question, this is early. I'm thinking it might be bronze.

-And brass over it.

It's just that wonderful colour in there, that darkness.

And then you turn it over,

and it's just been polished for 100 years or more.

-94 on there...

-Which is far too much.

-Yes.

-65 probably is the bottom line there.

-Mm.

I feel a bit of a job lot coming on for the silver-shaped dressing-table box and the bronze mask.

-65 and 55. A hundred the two?

-Yes, I think we could do a hundred on the two.

-You've got a deal.

-Thank you.

-Brilliant. Thank you very much.

Ooh! James does seem rather taken with the mask.

Now, has Thomas stopped flirting with Doreen?

-These have just come in, have they?

-Yes.

-Oh, that's so sweet!

-I thought that was very pretty.

-Mm. It is lovely.

-We have a slight issue with that one.

-Oh!

Just because of the material.

This 1900 moustache-and-comb set has a silver and tortoise shell element to it.

Tortoiseshell is endangered, but since this antique utility

was made before 1947, it means that Thomas is able to sell it at auction.

Ticket price - £35.

What a present to give our narrator, with his little moustache! Ha ha!

Size isn't everything, Thomas! Time to do a deal with Doreen.

-What's that going to be in your world, this one here?

-35.

How many people do you know with a moustache? Mm?

-I mean, it's not November.

-A lot of my female friends!

-You don't want to say that!

-Oh, you two!

Now, with the cocktail set secured for £32,

can Thomas wheel a deal for the £35 grooming kit?

-Can I give you 50 for the both?

-No.

-Go on.

-No!

-It makes it nice and easy, round figures!

-What was this one again?

-That was 32.

-32. OK. We'll do 50 for the both.

-Go on.

-OK, 50 for the both?

-50 for both.

-Deal, OK. Thank you.

-Brilliant.

-That's us.

-What a charmer!

Thomas has managed to get both the drinks set

and the 'tache grooming kit for £50. Brilliant.

Thank you very much. It's been a pleasure.

At the other end of the shop, James has negotiated

on a dressing-table box,

a vintage mask,

and a match holder.

But he's not finished yet.

-A pair of toast racks.

-Yes.

-Oh! These could fit the bill at £98.

-What could they do?

-Er...

-80?

-Oh, Blimey!

-What would you like to pay for it?

-I was thinking a good bit off that.

-Yes.

-Don't worry.

To give you a fighting chance, how about 78?

Mmm.

75? Touching somewhere near?

Would you do 150 for the three?

-One more bid and we can do it.

-155?

-Yeah.

-OK.

-You've got a deal.

-Thank you.

-Brilliant.

Crikey, so after one last haggle, James has got the silver box,

the silver toast racks and the mask for £155.

And with the match holder at £19, that's not bad for a day's shop.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

The pair are riding high and great,

the motor's been fixed.

Good old James gives Thomas a lift 30 miles east to Stirling

and the famous Wallace Monument.

It looks marvellous, doesn't it?

It's lovely. I'm really looking forward to this.

William Wallace was a Scottish hero who fought and died

trying to free Scotland from English rule.

Standing tall and proud, the National Wallace Monument

was built more than 140 years ago to celebrate Wallace's win

against the English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297.

Here to tell the tale is archaeologist Murray Cook.

-Hello.

-Hiya.

-I'm Thomas.

-I'm Murray. How do you do.

This is the National Wallace Monument.

It's built in 1869 to commemorate William Wallace

and his famous battle at Stirling Bridge.

Proudly positioned on the Abbey Craig, overlooking

the site of his greatest victory,

this Gothic tower captures the drama of Wallace's campaign.

Wallace is THE national hero.

He's from relatively common origins.

He's not a member of the establishment,

not a member of the aristocracy.

He didn't say no, he just kept fighting. He didn't surrender.

I mean, he's a hothead.

Named Braveheart, Wallace inspired the Scots to stand up

to their oppressors, the English.

The choice of weapon was the sword, believed to resemble this one.

Probably some element of that is Wallace's sword.

The Wallace sword was restored by King James IV in 1505.

Standing at five and a half feet,

it's unlikely that Wallace would have actually used this in battle.

Wallace was big. Wallace was a big man.

-Six foot ten?

-Well, he's kind of between six and seven feet.

You'd have to be very big to wield it.

Certainly big to smash that into someone's body

and then pull it out again.

-Erm...

-But it's a big sword for a big hero.

From my knowledge of fencing, that wouldn't have been...

-I fenced for some years and I wouldn't want to use that.

-No.

It's not just the monument's design that's impressive,

but the views from the summit.

Just hold your breath because really, this view is incredible.

It's just a spectacular panorama.

Oh, my!

From the top of the monument, it's possible to see Stirling Castle

and the site of eight battlefields,

including Bannockburn and of course Stirling Bridge.

The rugby pitch is where the Battle of Stirling Bridge was fought,

where 5,500 troops died. Just on that spot.

You are looking at bloody ground.

And also, with the weight of troops and knights and all that machinery of war they had,

they got there and they realised, "Oh, it's far too late to turn back."

They were stuck.

The English made a tactical error in crossing the too-narrow

Stirling Bridge, so giving victory to the Scots

and making Wallace a national hero.

However, Wallace paid the ultimate price.

He was later captured and hung, drawn and quartered

by the English in 1305.

But his legend lives on in this grand tribute.

A Victorian looking at that feels that's a primitive past,

we're now moving forward, look what we've achieved.

I think they should be very proud of what they achieved.

Well said, Thomas. Especially for a Sassenach.

But it's time to get back to shopping.

Speaking of which, James had driven 20 miles to Alva, to Glentana Mill,

where he's hoping to conjure up his own antiques adventure.

Ooh, ah. We're making headlines!

-Hello there.

-James, nice to meet you.

-Nice to see you.

Glentana Mill houses 15 dealers and hundreds of collectibles.

Seems Sir Cliff isn't the only knight in the shop.

Thomas Plant, you're on dangerous ground! Waarrrgh!

Yeah(!) Well, thank goodness he's not wearing a kilt.

Although James has just over £300 in his pocket,

nothing seems to be tickling his fancy.

£890.

Can't make a profit.

Nope. It's not the right period.

I think for the first time ever, I'm beaten.

First time ever.

Don't give up yet.

A picture may say a thousand words, but in this case, James,

it's just two. Is that still life saying "buy me"?

Here we've got a 19th-century Scottish school still life oil

on canvas of a vase of sort of meadow flowers and grasses.

Probably painted around 1890.

It has a bit of a look to it.

But just wondering whether I should go for that.

Well, at £65, it would be rude not to.

It's time to negotiate with owner Ellis.

What could you do on that for me?

Probably do 55.

-What were you thinking about?

-About 30.

The best I could do would be 40.

-That's the very best.

-OK.

-And that's only because I know that dealer.

-OK.

Well, that does seem reasonable.

-Looks like I'm buying a picture off you then.

-Right.

-£40.

-Yeah.

With his loot in the bag, James and Thomas are due

for a well-deserved rest, as the sun sets on an eventful day.

Nighty-night!

It's a new day in bonny Scotland

and Thomas has devised one way to kill off the competition.

-Oh, Thomas!

-Not me.

-Argh!

-That's not me.

-That's you!

-I promise you.

It smells like poo.

Thank goodness the roof's down.

Moving on. So far, Thomas Plant has spent £50 on two items.

An art deco travelling cocktail drinks set

and a 1900s moustache brush and comb set,

leaving him with £167.30.

Thank you very much. Been a pleasure.

Meanwhile, Moneybags James has spent £214 on five items.

A Victorian novelty match holder, a dressing table box,

a pair of silver toast racks, a tribal mask and a painting...

-What do you think?

-..leaving him £279.50 in his piggy bank.

Brilliant, thank you very much.

Our boys are heading over an hour east, from Alva to St Andrews.

Ah, St Andrews, look! Look! Look!

James drops off Thomas, as he's got his own plan of action.

-Look at that. Isn't it marvellous?

-Oh, fantastic!

-Are you a bit jealous?

-I want the Cyberman's hat.

I'll see what I can do.

-See you later.

-Oh. I want to come.

Thomas is hoping to get something curious from Curiosity.

Happy to help are two shop assistants. Hugh Grant?

No, Peter and Peter. Smart dandies with the same name.

-Would you mind if I had a quick look?

-No. If you see anything, give me a shout.

-Thank you very much.

-Is that a real pheasant?

-It is indeed, ya. Stuffed.

-Oh, it's not been recently shot.

-No.

It's a vintage piece. I'd love to say I shot it fresh this morning, but I'm afraid not.

This is not just an antiques shop,

it stocks all sorts of odds and ends and curiosities.

Oh, look.

Right, normal, scary. Hilarious, aren't they?

Yeah, not very nice, actually.

Creepy! But the Peters have seen it all before.

Oh, what's this?

These are so funny, they're so sort of '50s, you know,

good sort of seaside humour, which we now find fun.

"Don't forget you promised to teach me to drive a car too."

Just married.

Of course, some cards are by famous artists, which make them

more appealing. There's a Mabel Lucie Attwell there.

This collection contains at least one saucy postcard by famous graphic artist Donald McGill.

Postcards like these sold in their millions

and are now highly collectible.

There's 78 cards here. I'm looking to buy the lot.

It's just a group lot of postcards.

I'm wondering if I can buy the album off you for about £40.

For the whole album we'd be looking at something a bit more

-than 40, I'm afraid.

-What would you be looking for?

The figure I was thinking, we have roughly 80, which is about 160.

120, that was the sort of figure that we were looking at.

They're not worth that at auction.

No, all right. Well, thank you very much. I think my work is done here.

Oh, Thomas is playing tough!

I'll tell you what I'll do. Seeing as you're interested in them all.

All of them, I can do them...

Roughly about 80 of them there, I can do them all for £50 for you.

-£50?

-£50 for the lot.

-Deal.

-Deal. That's a deal. Thank you, Peter.

Well played, Thomas.

A no-nonsense approach and a great discount, but he's not finished yet.

That's a mad thing.

An egg.

A wooden egg. And a coat of brass over it.

I think it might be old.

It's a bit flimsy.

God, I've never seen something like that before.

An oak and brass decorative egg. Ticket price £12.

Looks in-ter-esting, but any idea what it is?

What do you know about this?

I'm going to be honest with you, we don't know a great deal about it.

We think it's fairly old, about 80 years old, but we're uncertain.

Obviously covered in brass.

-Um...

-It's a mad thing.

-I think it's a curious object.

It's quite distinctive, very decorative.

To be honest with you, I haven't seen anything else like it.

What can you do on that?

To be honest, think that's a fair price, as it is.

But seeing as you've bought that, together, £60.

-£60?

-£60 for the two.

-55 for the two.

I tell you what, halfway and we'll meet with a deal there.

-55?

-57.50. Every penny counts in this business, you know that as well as I do.

57.50. Madness. So that would cost me 7.50.

Go on.

What a nice chap.

Goodness, Thomas seems to be on a shopping spree.

This is a moulding plane. Really nicely made.

The appeal is that they're really lovely decorative objects.

And also, some restorers do still use them.

There are all types of blades in there.

When you're wanting to do a bit of moulding,

I think it would come out like that. Can that be pennies? Not literally.

Thomas, seeing as you've bought other stuff from us,

that's 22 at the moment. Ten pounds, it's yours.

I'll take it then.

I've bought three things off you now, haven't I?

Well, remembered.

Curiosity may have killed the cat,

but Thomas is the cat that got the cream. £67.50 well spent.

Meanwhile, James has travelled to Troywood to visit

what from afar looks like a very ordinary Scottish farmhouse.

This couldn't be further from the truth, as this humble lodging,

now a museum, played a pivotal role in Scottish military history.

In command is tour guide Peter Gordon.

-Hi.

-Hi, James.

-Nice to see you.

I'm Peter. Welcome to Scotland's secret bunker.

Originally built in 1951 as a radar station, this installation

was later modified, as Cold War tensions escalated.

Dug 100ft underground, this 24,000 square foot command centre would

have been the seat of government in the event of a nuclear strike.

James, you're in RAF operations here. Dating back to the '50s,

early '60s.

But everything would be scrambled from all the major airfields in Scotland from here.

The offices of the emergency services, scientific advisers,

the Met Office and computer staff

would surround this main command floor and up-to-the-minute

status information would be shown on the giant wall charts and maps.

This is the nuclear command centre for the whole of Scotland,

all the information from all the bunkers came here.

And as such, the bunker was equipped with essential personnel

with direct links to the quick reaction alert forces,

whom could be airborne in a few moments should NATO airspace

be threatened, and they often were, until the end of the Cold War.

This is how everything would be moved around,

so from the board, from the radar room next-door, people would move

these, the different squadrons that were coming in.

I remember seeing a photograph of my aunt,

my mother's older sister, standing next to something like this

with little models of planes and she's actually holding one of these.

And she was pushing little groups of planes around

and she worked in one of these rooms in the Second World War.

And that's really odd. It's...

I'd forgotten all about it until just seeing this.

Very important people.

If they got it wrong, all hell would break loose.

During this period, the 300 or so personnel would never see daylight.

They couldn't even shower,

as uncontaminated water was too precious a commodity.

The water had to go through five different filter systems.

It had to be absolutely pristine water.

If you want to have a nice cup of tea, this is the place to come!

What wasn't scrimped on though were the lines of communication.

The menacing war telephones would be used to issue final warnings

to any aggressor before an all-out nuclear strike.

This is a direct link to Westminster, the Prime Minister.

So you would pick this phone up, you'd already have the command codes

for launching of the missiles, then you pick this up and speak

directly to the Prime Minister to get the OK to launch the missiles.

What do these buttons do? That, for example?

SIREN WAILS

Oh, that's the full alert throughout the bunker.

We're going into DEFCON 1. In other words, there's an attack.

Oh, so I've just launched on Russia, have I?

Oh, James!

The bunker was active until 1993, with the end of the Cold War,

and became open to the public in 1994.

It's been amazing. Thank you very much.

-You're welcome, James.

-Really enjoyed it.

Back to St Andrews.

Thomas has walked to a rather appropriately-named shop.

-Can I have a rummage?

-Yes, have a rummage.

Felicity runs this establishment,

a budget antiques and shabby-chic combo,

and with just under £100 to spend, it's perfect for Thomas.

Ooh, this is quite good.

But what is it?

I think it's a tool for scraping down a wooden plank of some description.

It's stamped up here.

This could be the answer to my prayers.

I could put this with my plane.

Good thinking.

Adding what looks like a wood shaver to his wooden plane mould.

That would make a job lot.

What's this got to be?

(Oh, I've no idea.)

A fiver.

I'm not going to argue with you.

-Good!

-I'm not going to barter, I'm not going to haggle,

I'm not going to try and knock you down.

-Just take it like that.

-I'm going to take it like that.

Give you a fiver, cos I don't know what it is.

Well, mission accomplished, on a tight budget.

I just love things like that.

So, you, know, that's sort of made my day, really.

How sweet!

James has driven the short distance back to St Andrews

to find some last-minute items.

-Hello, there.

-Hello.

OK, James, what's on the shopping list?

It's either got to be something on its own,

something to go with the silver,

or something to go with the canon.

There's an eclectic mix of goodies here,

but what will sell at auction? Maybe owner Anne can help.

We have something quite unusual up there as well.

I thought you would point out the Romans!

I can see the Romans from here.

This set of fibreglass Romans originally stood outside a pub.

Ticket price £280.

If you're really desperate to sell the Romans, what would they be?

-£100?

-They'd make 50 quid.

If I'm lucky, they'd make 50 quid. They're mad!

They're wonderful.

And they're completely unique.

HE LAUGHS

Not surprised!

Then you could buy the horse as well, couldn't you?

The French horse. It's slightly distressed!

You're going to try and bankrupt me!

Has Thomas been here and paid you?

I haven't laughed that much in a long time.

-Oh, good!

-Oh, you're brilliant!

Time's a-ticking, and James seems to be losing the plot.

I'm going to offer a really cheeky, silly, low price.

Oh, crikey!

Only because I think they're the most crazy things I've ever seen.

-I think they're probably worth nothing.

-I'll go with that.

I'll offer you a crazy price of 20 quid.

Oh now, come on!

-I know, it's crazy.

-50.

-Oh!

-Oh, come on. 20, no.

Who's going to want them?

25.

Oh... What else are you going to buy?

Good question. Didn't you say you were looking for some silver?

How about those? How much could they be?

How much do you want to spend in this shop?

They're worth a tenner to me.

-All right, you can have them for a tenner.

-Right.

OK, that's a purchase.

What James has is an Edwardian silver boot hook and shoe horn,

for £15 less than the ticket price.

But Anne's still trying to push the Romans on to him.

-They're completely bonkers.

-50.

I don't want them, I just think they're crazy.

30 quid. You stick your hand out if you want to.

-Deal.

-You do? £30!

I do not know who's more crazy, you or me.

They may be unusual, but that's £250 off the asking price.

How does he do it?

Well, it's a bit of company in the back of the car, isn't it?

Time now to meet up with Thomas and compare their wares.

Right, OK. You ready?

Careful, it looks windy!

Fantastic!

A bit predictable, I have to say.

-Well, that is.

-Not that.

No, not that.

Flowers, that's sweet. Lovely frame.

Oh, yes, still life. Great.

-What d'you pay for that?

-40 quid.

-There should be something in it.

-Right.

This is the thing I want to see.

It looks as if Thomas has taken a shine to James' mask.

A real bargain at £50.

I didn't know when I bought it, but I looked it up online,

and it is from the Cameroon.

Wow! From the Cameroon.

Is it something brought back by people who went there in the 19th century?

-I think so.

-It's amazing, isn't it?

-God, that's fantastic.

-Good thing, I think.

The mask is definitely a cut above James' other lots.

But is there one more item still undercover?

-Here we go!

-I want to see, I want to see!

-Are you ready?

-I want to see. I'm ready, I'm ready!

Now this has to go down in history as my finest buy ever.

Speechless!

What the hell...?

-Are they meant to be sort of classical figures?

-Romans.

Romans.

They're horrible.

But, yeah, they're mad, and the things is about a general sale...

They are horrible, aren't they?

Hideous! What did you buy those for? And how much were they?

They were priced up at £280.

-What did you pay for them?

-30 quid.

-Oh, great! Wonderful!

-How very generous, Thomas, but now it's over to you.

Oh!

There we are.

Not a huge amount of stuff. I didn't spend a great deal of money. Have a look.

What will James make of the egg?

What is that?

It's a North African egg. I think.

I haven't got a clue.

Seems to a running theme amongst our experts.

How much was it?

-£7.50.

-Ooh, expensive(!)

Big spender. Love that.

Postcards? Yeah.

78 of them, loads of them.

-How much were they?

-£50.

Ooh, that's cheap, for 78 of those.

Next up, Thomas's 'tache-grooming set.

Oh, look!

-A moustache comb.

-Just for you.

Oh, please - don't devalue it!

-What's that?

-Oh, James, don't!

-Oh, a bit of sweet corn!

-A bit of snot!

Go away!

-Go on, Thomas.

-You horror! You horror of a human being.

Oh, thanks, Thomas.

-I like that.

-Put it down.

Well, I have to say, you've got as eclectic a mix as I have.

Diplomatically said, but what do they really think?

We've both bought some real tat.

The little moustache set is great, with the brush and comb.

I think in the right sale, it might return a decent profit.

The classical figures.

I mean, has he had a taste bypass?

Has he had a lobotomy?

Has his front brain been removed? What was that?

I think the result is going to be touch and go.

I bought some real rubbish, but mind you, so did he.

It's been a memorable road trip.

Kicking off in Balloch, and then shimmying along

to historic Stirling,

before a wee trek to St Andrews,

and south to Troywood,

before heading to their final destination, Dundee.

There we go. Slip it in there.

-All right, James?

-Make sure the handbrake works.

I will. If you get out, it might be a bit better!

The auction battleground is Curr and Dewar in Dundee.

They've been established auctioneers and valuers since 1862.

Auctioneer Steven Dewar is on hand to tell us what will sell

and what will bomb.

The oil painting, the still life,

the vase of flowers, I think is a very pretty, attractive picture.

I think that could do quite well today,

but I do also quite like the unusual art deco cocktail set as a collector's item,

so hopefully we should do OK with that.

Thomas began this leg with £217.30 and was very frugal,

having only spent £122.50 on a total of five auction lots.

Brilliant... No, it's fine, it's fine!

Meanwhile James began this leg with an impressive £493.50

and spent a total of £254, also on five auction lots.

-Got a deal.

-Thank you.

-Steady yourselves - it's time to begin.

-Oh, dear. Well, here we go.

-First up is James's rare African mask.

-Interest opens me up at £80.

-There you are, see.

-And £80 it is on the mask. £80.

Are you all done at £80? 90. 100.

-And 10. And 110 now.

-Go on!

Any advance on £110?

Well, you've doubled your money.

James won't need the mask to cover his face in shame

as he's made a healthy profit.

-Do you slightly wish you could take it home?

-Take it home!

-Yes, exactly. That's the thing.

-But you can't.

-I know.

Thomas is next with his job lot of tools comprising

the wood shaver and the moulding plane.

-At £10. 12, sir. 15. 18.

-Into profit.

-In the hall there, £18.

-Is there anybody else there?

-18 quid! I've lost money on those.

-No, you haven't.

-Yes, I have.

-No, you haven't!

-£18.

-Broken even.

-Broken even.

-What a disgrace!

Yes, after auction costs, you'll barely see any of that.

But at least it isn't a loss, Thomas. Next are James's silver lot.

A toast rack, dressing-table box, and boot hook and horn.

Interest starts me off here. £50.

At £50, the group of silver pieces at £50. 60. 70.

80. 90. 100. And 10.

-110 commission. At £110. Any advance on 110?

-Go on! Yes!

You did well to get that.

That'll be an even bigger loss after commission.

But at least James is keeping his pecker up.

Take it on the chin 100%. My fault. I paid too much.

-Can Thomas catch up with his mysterious decorative egg?

-£15.

-18. 20. 2. 25. 28. 30.

-Go on!

30 commission bidder. Any advance, then? £30 I have.

Well done!

-Fantastic!

-They may laugh, but this double yolk has quadrupled in value.

Best profit so far on that bloody egg!

James is hoping to strike it rich

with his Victorian novelty match holder.

20 seated. 2. 25. 28. 30.

30 in the room. At £30, it's seated. It's your last chance. £30.

Yay!

-It's all right, I suppose.

-What do you mean, it's all right I suppose?

Everything can't make three figures!

Honestly, there's no pleasing some people!

Thought it might have made a bit more, but it's fine.

Will these fun postcards wish Thomas bon voyage?

-Interest starts me off at £25.

-I told you.

-28. 30. 2. 35. 38. 40. 2.

-Go on!

-At £42. Last chance, and it will sell.

45. 48. £48 seated...

-at £48 now.

-Go on!

50. 5. 60. 5. 70. 5.

-75 seated.

-Go on. Go on!

James, what are you doing? This isn't even your stuff!

-You bidding, sir? And 5.

-One more.

-90. And 5.

95 in the front. At £95. All done at £95.

Well done!

-Well done.

-See my man for that!

James rallied the bidders,

but it's Thomas who'll keep this healthy profit.

-That's doubled your money.

-But still, yes, that's great.

Will this gruesome twosome help James conquer the antiques empire?

A pair of life-size bronze composite figures. Roman emperors.

Fine figure of a man.

The emperor! For the pair of them, interest starts me off at £30.

-There you are, you see.

-35. 40. 5. 50. 5. 60. 5.

£65 in the hall.

70. 5. 80. 5.

At £90 in the hall. 5. 100.

And 10. 120. 130. 140.

150 is bid down the right. And 150 is bid. All done.

-No way!

-Yes!

Last chance. They're 150. Thank you.

-Well done, James. Well done.

-That is so wrong on so many levels!

Would you Adam and Eve it?

These Romans had the last laugh, putting James firmly in the lead.

-I thought that was bonkers.

-No, I think they're brilliant.

Could the quaint moustache brush

and comb set give Thomas the miracle he needs?

-Going over to my right.

-I can't see many moustaches.

18. 20.

-2. 25. 28 standing.

-He's sporting a moustache.

-At 28 - are you all done, then?

-Brilliant!

-It is, isn't it?

A tidy £10 profit here for Thomas. But James is still top of the pops!

He has got a moustache, as well!

I know. He wants to trim it.

Er... He can hear you!

Staying with Thomas and his last lot,

it's the smart travelling cocktail set.

-Interest starts me at £35.

-Profit, brilliant.

For the cocktail set - 40. 5.

50. 5.

-Yes, it's worth that.

-Bottom estimate.

-Last chance, then. £60.

-Yes, well done.

-Double money.

A great return there, Thomas.

But your profits will definitely not

shake or stir James's winning streak.

So that is the sweetest little profit throughout every single lot.

I love that.

Will James's oil-on-canvas be the final death-"nail"

in Thomas's antique dreams?

A very attractive painting there. What will we say? £200? £100?

100 bid, thank you.

And 100. 120. 140. 160.

180 is bid. 200.

At 200 now. Any advance at 200.

You're bidding. 220. 240. 260. 280.

280 is a commission bidder. Last chance.

-James!

-Yay!

-Wow!

-Profit!

Wow! With an unbeatable £240 profit,

this still-life proves that James really is the master!

-Jolly good.

-Lunch is on you!

-That's why I bought it.

-Lunch is on you!

Thomas started this leg with £217.30 and after auction costs

he's made a decent profit of £66.92.

That leaves him with £284.22 to carry forward.

James lifts today's cup.

He started with £493.50 and after making £303.60 profit,

that leaves him with a humongous £797.10 to carry on to the next leg.

However does he do it?

-James, congratulations!

-Well done you, two great profits!

Well, a great profit from your end. So what are you on now?

-Sort of £1,000, is it? Is it £100,000?

-Um, getting there!

-I'm feeling positive about today's results. Very positive.

-Good.

-Let's go!

-Next time on the Antiques Road Trip, Thomas splashes the cash!

I didn't want to spend this amount of money.

-And James can talk to animals.

-Honestly, she says 65!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd